This was an excellent article.
I wonder if kids today read 1984 in school as we did. Even if they do, does the now old title lower the book's impact?
IIRC, the book was written soon after WW II reflecting on the changes in society coming in both England and the Soviet Union. England was introducing television and having the govt much more involved in people's lives. The Soviets were totalitarian--people were dirt poor and every aspect of life was controlled by the govt. England also had the V-2 experience. WW II ended with east and west facing each other.
Since much of this history has changed and other parts become so distant, I wonder if the book is as meaningful toward young readers today.
We don't have nuclear war hanging over our heads as in the 1950s and
1960s and the conflicts between the west/China/USSR.I wonder if it bothers people that so much of their daily movements is tracked by CCTV cameras everywhere they go -- in schools, on the job, in stores, and along the road. People have been arrested wrongly based on CCTV viewings (a school principal was fired after being "seen" alone in a room with a student).
On the one hand, I suppose the cameras could clear us if we were accused of a crime by providing us with an alibi proving we were where we said we were.
But on the other hand, if we happened to be near a crime scene when it occured, could we be falsely accused of that crime (like the principal)?
Does anyone out there think this lack of privacy and constant electronic and data surveillance is a good thing?